Results: Net income for Ameren Corporation rose to $374 million ($1.54 per share) vs. $285 million ($1.18 per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This marks a rise of 31.2% from the year-earlier quarter.

Revenue: Fell 11.8% to $2 billion from the year-earlier quarter.

Actual vs. Wall St. Expectations: Ameren Corporation reported adjusted net income of $1.33 per share. By that measure, the company fell short of mean estimate of $1.42 per share. It beat the average revenue estimate of $1.7 billion.

Quoting Management: “The third quarter was solid from an operations perspective with our system and people performing very well under extended severe weather conditions. Overall, earnings were in line with our expectations despite a challenging Illinois electric delivery rate order,” said Thomas R. Voss, chairman, president and CEO of Ameren Corporation. “Today, we have narrowed our 2012 core earnings guidance range to $2.35 to $2.45 per share from our prior range of $2.25 to $2.55 per share.”

Key Stats:

For four consecutive quarters, revenue has fallen. Revenue declined 6.8% to $1.66 billion in the second quarter. The figure fell 12.9% in the first quarter from the year earlier and dropped 10.5% in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year from the year-ago quarter.

Looking Forward: Expectations for the company’s next-quarter performance are more favorable than they were a month ago. The average estimate for the fourth quarter is now at 13 cents per share, up from 13 cents. In the last thirty days, the average estimate for the fiscal year has moved up from $2.44 per share to $2.47.